Cody Rhodes
Cody Rhodes is the son of WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes, which framed the early part of his career more than his own work did. That changed after 2016, when he left WWE without a guaranteed spot, rebuilt his reputation on the independents, helped launch a competitor, and came back to win the world title his father never held.
Leaving on his own terms
Cody spent his first WWE run as a capable mid-card hand who never broke through to the top tier. In 2016 he asked for his release, a rare move for someone with a stable job in the company. He spent the next few years wrestling on the independents and in New Japan, then in 2019 became a founding wrestler and an executive vice president of All Elite Wrestling, where he was one of the most prominent names outside WWE.
Finishing the story
He returned to WWE at WrestleMania 38 in 2022 with a stated goal: win the world title that eluded his father. It took two attempts. After losing to Roman Reigns in 2023, he beat Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 40 in April 2024 to win the Undisputed WWE Championship, ending Reigns’ 1,316-day reign and putting a world title in the Rhodes family for the first time.
Top of the card
Since then Cody has been one of the wrestlers WWE builds its biggest shows around. His exact title status shifts over time, but his place near the top of the card has held, which is why his position in The Index is worth watching from week to week.